Patients ≥21 years of age with acute coronary syndrome within the last 2-12 months

Exclusion criteria:

Prior or current depression

Limited life expectancy

Severe mental illness

Severe physical illness

Dementia

Pregnancy

Other salient features/characteristics:

Positive screen for depression: 7.6% of the screen/notify/treat group and 6.6% of the screen/notify

Principal Findings:

There was no difference in the change in quality-adjusted life-years from baseline to 18 months between the three groups (p = 0.91).

Secondary outcomes:

No difference in the change in depression-free days from baseline to 18 months between the three groups (p = 0.63)

No difference in mortality at 18 months between the three groups (p = not significant)

Interpretation:

Among patients with recent acute coronary syndrome, screening for depression was not beneficial. This intervention failed to improve quality-adjusted life-years or depression-free days compared with no screening. Approximately 6-7% of individuals were screened for depression. Depression screening guidelines may need to be reconsidered.

References:

Presented by Dr. Ian Matthew Kronish at the American College of Cardiology Annual Scientific Session (ACC 2019), New Orleans, LA, March 16, 2019.